What: Come to Nidor Gallery and smoke shop and feel ritzy and intellectual as you weave through and view “soul portals,” as well as murals and portraits by these two talented featured VAC artists. Check out Nidor’s juice tasting bar and check out their high end vapor products.

ArtistsJesse Kramer a/k/a Seas Over Seas; David Gilmore

3. Pet Portraits by Christian Where: Sunny Bak Studio 2214 Pacific Ave. What: Come to Sunny Bak studio and don’t forget to bring your pet! Christian will be shooting free pet photos, so you can finally fill that living room wall with a photo of your furry friend! A Pet portrait exhibit will also be featured— beware, it gets really cute in there. Ar

4. Le Cellier Wine BarWhere: 417 W Washington Blvd, Marina del Rey 6-10 pmWhat: Sip wine and connect with what we all love most about Venice Beach and So-cal— the beach. Painter Todd Goodman truly encapsulates the essence of the pacific ocean in his acrylic paintings, highlighting some of his beach and surf scenes and Santa Monica Pier sunsets. Also featured will be the incredibly talented Joel Harris and his acrylic paintings on canvas— pairs best with Merlot or Sangria.

Artists: Todd Goodman and Joel Harris

5. Drew Blood – Pool PaintingsWhere: 417 Rose – Please enter in the alley behind Venice Ranch Market 6 – 9 pm What: Come check out Drew Blood’s newest work on canvas and paper. As a rollerblader growing up in the Midwest, the Southern California skate lifestyle was always a huge influence on his “Pool Painting” series, a series he has been dedicated to for four years. The artist states “These empty vessels serve as reminders of the post war idea of the backyard as an oasis; Areas of former opulence that have fallen to shambles; Accidental sculptures with unknown kinetic potential; Southern California 60 years later.”

So naturally us Venice Art Crawlers have been drooling over the event pictures, installations, whispered rumors, parties, and awe inspiring artwork.

But interestingly enough, behind the computer screen ‘aint that bad. Thanks to the wonderful world of technology that we live in, HD pictures, Vimeo videos, and tell-all blogs, I think I have a pretty good sense of what really went down in Miami this week— PURE AMAZINGNESS.

The good ol’ Huff Post even pointed out “trends” in the art world— yup “trends.”

I learned that just like in the fashion world, there are trends in the art world as well.

Some trends that I found personally interesting go a lil’ somethin’ like this:

1. Tropical Vacations

2. Classic art history nudes, re-taken through todays lens.

3. Rocks and Crystals

4. Art— Coming out of the walls?

5. Toilet Paper

There All the Rage!

Wanna know about more of these trends so you can stay hip and cool like us?

Check out the full article with all the dirty deets at the Huffington Post!

So Now that Art Basel is over, Whats Next?

After all that fun, all the flash and glitz, and all those installation orgies, what else does the art world have to look forward to??

Well.. I can think of one thing… (INSERT PROMO HERE)

GO TO THE VENICE ART CRAWL IN VENICE BEACH AND START THE TREND OVER HERE WHERE ITS WAY COOLER ON DECEMBER19TH AND BUY OUR T-SHIRT WHILE YOUR AT IT.

11-year-old sixth grader and artist, Charles Gitnick, from Los Angeles is the talk of the town in the art world, boasting title features at the Washington Post, Yahoo! News, Huffington Post, and the LA times. The young prodigy’s current work involves spray painted guns ranging in size and color, splattered with “Jackson Pollock-esk” paint drips, intended to bring awareness to America’s epidemic of shootings and violence. He calls his art work “3-D gun art” and claims that he was seven when he first started creating abstract artwork. He also asserts was inspired to be an artist by the work of Andy Warhol, Lenonardo Da Vinci, and Basquiat.

11 Year old Charles Gitnick poses with his “3-D Gun-Art”.

(AP Photo/J Pat Carter) Photo Taken from: Yahoo News

“Rainbow Drip”

He writes in his website bio: “My feelings about guns are that they are scary and dangerous. When I make one of my pieces, I create a background and then I camouflage the gun to make it almost invisible. The gun is still there but it’s hard to see it or you don’t see it for what it really is. Hopefully my art will get people talking about guns, gun safety and gun violence. I wish guns were only in an art gallery.”

“Dozen Guns”

In a recent interview conducted with LA times, Gitnick talks about how he first sold his art in Venice Beach. The LA times asks:

LA Times: Last December’s Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut affected you – and your art – deeply. Can you elaborate on that?

Gitnick: I stopped making art for 18 days because of it because I was afraid people would think I was promoting guns and not like my art. My dad talked to me about it and told me when those bad things happen it’s not a time for artists to back down; that’s when everyone is talking about it, it’s the best time to get the message out. So I started making art again.

We rented a house in Venice a few years ago and we were walking on the boardwalk and I sold some gun art on the boardwalk — we got a permit. That was the first time I sold to the public. This summer we sold every weekend in July. We made $1,100 in one day, the most I’ve ever made in a day. I’m saving for a car.

Read more about Charles Ginick’s interview with the LA Times here and check out his website!!

It’s that time of the year when I am forced to realize, YET again, that I am missing Miami’s Art Basel Exhibition. Its just another year where I flip the couch upside down and re-count the last pennies added to my jelly jar of “Miami Airfare” savings, only to realize that $13.42 just ain’t gonna cut it…

Oh well. I guess I’ll just enjoy all of the larger-than-life installations, live performances, contemporary artworks, paintings, sculptures, films, photographs, and beachside parties from behind this here laptop. (That AND THEN I GET GO TO THE VENICE ART CRAWL SUCKERS!)

50,000 International visitors come to Art Basel and the exhibition has been coined the “International Meeting Place for the Art World,” with over 250 of the world’s leading art galleries participating.